Ater Sanguis
by misslexilouwho
Summary: "So what, you're his babysitter?" "I'm his liaison to the Order." "I don't like how this is going, Hermione; first you find out that you're not a muggle-born, and now you have to take care of Draco Malfoy?" "I'm not crazy about it either, Ronald, but that is life." Half-Blood!Hermione. Canon compliant until the end of OOTP. Eventual Dramione.
1. Prologue

_Ater Sanguis_

Warnings: Rated M for language, potential violence, and occasional sexual scenes; adult themes.

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter. If I did, I could actually afford to attend uni. All characters are property of JK Rowling.

A/N: I have been reading a lot of really amazing stories as of late (mostly by Shayalonnie and Colubrina), and I just really wanted to write my own. I'm in love with the idea of Pureblood!Hermione and Half-Blood!Hermione stories, so I wanted to try my own. This is a slight AU in a few other ways as well – Sirius did not die at the end of OOTP, and there will be some big differences over the course of the story, as well as a slight change to Hermione's appearance. I have a few chapters written already, so depending on how well this is received in the next few days I will upload more. Anyways, here's _Ater Sanguis_ (you'll learn what that means one day)

Prologue

* * *

 **1 January, 1979**  
 **Muggle Pub, London**

Helen Jones was ringing in the New Year with her roommates. At 21 years of age, and one of the smartest in her class at uni, she decided to celebrate all that she had. She was drunk, no doubt about it, but she deserved it. Last semester had been brutal, and she wanted to kick of her New Year right.

"Hey, 'El," one of her friends shouted across the table. "There's a guy lookin' at you. And damn is he dreamy!"

"Holy shit, he's coming this way, Helen!"

Helen sat up straighter, and positioned her shirt so her breasts were more noticeable. The guy had to be her age; he had a black leather jacket on and he had black shaggy hair. He was gorgeous, and he sauntered right up to her.

"Can I buy you another drink, beautiful?" The man asked, a grin on his face.

Helen downed her drink and nodded. They went to the bar where he bought her the most expensive drink on the menu. They chatted for a while, and when she felt it was too hot, she struggled with her jacket.

"Wanna 'elp me?" Helen asked, looking up at him with her chocolate brown eyes. Her hair had fallen out of the bun she had it in, frizzy pieces in her face. The man pushed the hair behind her ear and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"How's about we go to my flat?" He suggested. Helen agreed and left with him, gesturing wildly to her friends, who hollered praise at her.

God was he good in bed. They shagged for the whole day – on his bed, on the kitchen table, in the shower, on the hallway floor. Helen came at least 10 times, and half of those times were because he ate her out so damn well. She was in lust, and she knew it.

That evening they got drunk in his flat, but when his roommate returned, Helen had to leave. He brought her back to the pub they met at, and he gave her a kiss.

"Will I ever see you again?" Helen asked, sobering up. Her lover shrugged. They parted ways.

She didn't see him again.

...

 **13 February, 1979**  
 **Helen Jones' flat**

A little pink plus.

That damned bloke gave her the dreaded little pink plus.

Helen was three weeks into a relationship with a very nice guy named Jeff Granger. Jeff was pre-med like Helen, looking to be a dentist as well. They had been friends for a while, but decided to give a romantic relationship a shot. They got on well, and the sex was nice, but they always used protection.

She hadn't with her New Year's hookup. And now she had that little pink plus.

"El?" Kathy, Helen's roommate, knocked on the door to their little bathroom. "You've been in there a while, El. Are you okay?"

Helen opened the door and collapsed in a sob on her best friend's shoulder. She bawled, worried about what her parents would think, what Jeff would think. It was the day before bloody Valentine's Day, and she found out she was pregnant! What would she do?

"Lie."

Helen looked at her friend and sniffled. "Lie?"

"Lie. El, you gotta lie. Tell Jeff it's his." Kathy knew that Helen and Jeff used protection, and she remembered the dreamy bloke from New Year's, and made the connection. "Tell him that clearly a condom broke, and now you're pregnant."

"When should I tell him?"

"Tomorrow?"

...

 **29 May, 1979**  
 **Jones Household**

Helen had a hard time telling her parents she was pregnant. She expected her mother to understand, but her father? That was a different story. When they asked for the name of the boy who impregnated her, Helen paused.

"Jeff Granger."

...

 **17 July, 1979**  
 **Granger flat**

Jeff and Helen were married now. He took the whole pregnancy thing well, and proposed to her weeks after her reveal. They had just returned from their honeymoon to Paris. Helen fell in love with Jeff somewhere along the way, but she couldn't get her mystery man out of her mind. It was _his_ fault she was pregnant, and he just disappeared out of her life. But she didn't need him.

She had Jeff, and her little pink plus.

...

 **19 September, 1979  
Chelsea and Westminister Hospital, London**

The pain was unbearable. How her mother coped, Helen would never know. Helen begged for some sort of anesthetic, as soon as possible.

It took her 12 hours to deliver her child, but holding that tiny little human that she carried was worth it.

"Welcome to the world, Hermione Jean."


	2. Surprises

_Ater Sanguis_

Warnings: Rated M for language, potential violence, and occasional sexual scenes

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter. If I did, I could actually afford to attend uni. All characters are property of JK Rowling.

A/N: First proper chapter, uploaded on Hermione's birthday! I have a really good idea of where I'm going with this story, and hopefully I'll be able to actually really keep with it, because I am writing chapters before I upload them - I currently have chapters 2 and 3 written and plan on having at least one or two more before I post the next one. This may also mean I can try and have an uploading schedule, depending on how quickly I get these done. Just a reminder, I am taking 6 classes, volunteering, and working two jobs this semester at uni. So if this story does get big and people actually want to read it, I will do my damnedest to update properly. Speaking of, I currently have 38 follows(!) and 10 favorites - so thank you all so much for following and favoriting. If each of you leaves at least a quick review of what you think, and any criticism you have, that would be magnificent! If you guys want to follow me on tumblr you can – misslexilouwho is my name on there as well.

 _Surprise_

* * *

 **16 July, 1996**  
 **Granger Residence**

Hermione Granger was sitting in the kitchen with her mother, just a few weeks after the term had ended. The sixteen year old was enjoying a cuppa tea with her mum, recounting some of the events that occurred during her last term.

"Our professor for Defense was absolutely dreadful, Mum. She wouldn't let us learn the practical portion, which was a large part of our O.W.L.s – so Harry took it upon himself to teach those who really wanted to learn. He's a very good teacher," Hermione paused to take a sip from her tea (Jasmine, with a bit of milk and honey) as her mum nibbled on a biscuit. She continued on, telling her mother about a majority of the on goings at school, blissfully unaware that Helen Granger already knew everything.

Hermione had just begun to talk about the battle at the Department of Mysteries when there was a knocking at the door. She excused herself to answer, wondering who could be so inconsiderate as to interrupt them during tea time. She let her frizzy dark brown hair down, and ran her fingers through it a few times, but only succeeded in making frizzier. A loud sigh escaped her lips; she knew she would never have properly straight hair unless she worked at it, and she found working on her appearance was a waste of time.

The person at the door knocked again, more frantically this time. "Coming, coming! Hold your bloody horses," Hermione shouted as she reached the door. She could hear her mother scolding her for the language in the kitchen, but she ignored her, opening the door.

"Sirius? Remus? What are you doing here?" Hermione titled her head and looked at her former professor and best friend's godfather. She lingered on Sirius for a moment, grey eyes on grey eyes. The witch shook her head and opened the door wider. "Do come in, sorry. Mum and I were just having tea, but I assume this is something important?"

"Order business," Remus answered, entering the house. It was a quaint house, filled to the brim with muggle technology, as one would expect. Sirius gawked at the telly that Jeff had left on while he ran out to the store.

"Remus, there are portraits trapped in that box!"

"Sirius, we've been over this. That's the telly," Remus sighed. Sirius knew what the telly was – he had seen it when he visited Remus' house one year during school, but of course he couldn't help but be fascinated at this one as well.

"Mum? Sorry, I got some visitors," Hermione called to her mother before turning back to the gentlemen. "You can join us in the kitchen if you'd like?"

Hermione lead the pair into her kitchen, where her mother was sitting reading a newspaper. Helen lowered her newspaper to greet her guests when she gasped.

"You!" She exclaimed, pointing at Sirius.

"Me?"

"Sirius?" Hermione and Remus questioned together.

"Mum, how do you know Sirius?"

"Ah, you have a name," Helen sneered. "Sirius Black. How did I not see that coming?"

"Mum, I'm terribly confused. I didn't even _say_ Sirius' last name!"

Remus looked at his friend, who was perplexed for a moment before the lightbulb came on. "New Year's Day, 1979?"

"My name is Helen. And apparently you know your daughter, Hermione."

...

After the initial shock wore off from everyone, Hermione demanded an answer. "What do you _mean_ his _daughter_?! Mum, Sirius never had kids!"

"There's a lot about me you don't know, pumpkin," Helen said gently as the quartet moved to the living room. She sat next to her daughter and across from Sirius. Remus sat in a chair on the other side of Sirius, genuinely curious but also stifling laughter.

"Yeah, apparently," Hermione bit, glaring at her mother.

"I'm sorry, love, but I never thought these topics would need to be discussed. I mean, I debated telling you when we found out you were a witch, but I just couldn't bring myself to tell my daughter she was the product of a passionate and drunken one night stand," Helen frowned, placing a hand on her daughter's thigh. "I suppose I should start with the most important thing, though. I've known about magic for my whole life. Your grandfather was a wizard. Eobard Jones."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, but what? How could you keep something from me like this?!"

"Your grandfather passed away when you were very young, if you can recall. He had been concealing his magic from your father since we got married – he refused to let Jeff know that he was a wizard. He had grown up in a different age, but as he was a half-blood, he was more open to the idea of muggles than most. Your grandmother, Naomi, was a muggle. Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depending on who's side you're looking at) I was born a squib."

"Okay, shocker of a century, but continuing on," Hermione interrupted, "how did you know about Sirius Black?"

"Your Nannie still received the _Daily Prophet_ ," Helen explained, "and she would package it up and send it to me so I could read and know about the happenings in Dad's world. I couldn't go to Diagon Alley on my own, but I still wanted to know what was happening in the world I grew up in. I knew all about your father's exploits before I even knew he was your father. I hate to admit it, but I had been so drunk the night we conceived you that I could barely remember what he looked like, just that he was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome."

"Nothin's changed there, my dear," Sirius interjected, earning him a glare from both Helen and Remus. "Alright, I'll shut up."

"As I was saying, I knew about Harry Potter and his plight well before we knew you were magical yourself. When Jeff noticed that you were acting peculiar, I decided it was time to tell Jeff the truth about my family. I expected him to leave me, to call me mad and have me sent to the asylum in London, but he didn't. Jeff was shocked, to say the least. But for Minerva's sake, we had to play dumb – Jeff wasn't supposed to know about our world.

"Every summer when you would come home and tell us about what happened, we already knew because we had read most of it in the _Prophet_ or through letters that Albus would send. Knowing that my little girl befriended Harry Potter worried me, but since you were _my_ little girl, my brilliant Hermione, I knew you would be okay.

"I was terrified for you when I heard about the petrifications on the grounds, but I never would've thought that you would be one of the unlucky children to be petrified." Helen paused to collect herself, looking between the three magical beings in her home.

"And then Sirius was out of Azkaban. I feared for your safety more than ever before, but as I looked at the pictures of the deranged man-"

"Hey!"

"-I'm not sorry, you looked absolutely bonkers," Helen glared at the wizard, "I noticed similarities between you and him. You have his nose, and his eyes, and it seems as the years go on, his hair. I was afraid you would have my horrible bush of hair, and you did for a very long time, but you've probably noticed it has been taming itself over the years. And it's much darker than mine and Jeff's, nearly black, I would say."

Hermione stared at the man she learned was her father. Yes, the similarities were there; she had his grey eyes, and even the same round shape to them. Her nose was more upturned like his as well. How had she not noticed this, with all the time she had spent with him?

"I suppose…I did feel a connection with you, Sirius. But I always assumed it was because I saved your life and because you're Harry's godfather. Not because…you're my father," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

"I know this means I've lied to you about so, so much, my dear, and I am terribly sorry. Please, forgive me," Helen pleaded, staring at her daughter. "I love you, and I just wanted you to be safe. I realize know that it won't be possible to shield you forever."

"Well, knowing that she is my daughter now," Sirius said awkwardly, "I can keep more of an eye out for her like a good father would."

"Please," Hermione scoffed, "You nearly got yourself killed at the battle! If your best friend here hadn't shoved Bellatrix, you'd be dead." Anger ignited inside the young witch. "And you can't call yourself my father, for that matter. Jeff Granger has been my dad my whole life, Sirius. I'm not going to reject him now that I know you're my biological father."

"But you can't reject Sirius, either, love," Helen said. "He may not have known, but he is your father. And he has been here for you for a while now, I must admit. We can try to get to know each other in that pretense, perhaps. We have all summer."

"Ah, perhaps not _all_ summer," Remus spoke up. "We were here to collect young Miss Hermione to come to an Order meeting. She is a necessary person for this latest mission, unfortunately. We just need to brief her before she returns in a few weeks to begin. She should be back by tomorrow."

Helen frowned. She didn't like the sound of this "mission" that her baby was to go on, but she trusted her daughter to be safe. "Fine, so long as she is back before supper tomorrow. I wish to continue our conversation."

Hermione nodded in agreement; there was much that Hermione wanted to know, and as much as she hated to admit it, she would need to really know what happened between her mother and Sir- her father. "I'll be back tomorrow, Mum," she said before hugging her mother. "I love you."

"And I you, my darling."

"Me too," Sirius said, dogpiling on top of his once lover and daughter.

"Ugh, Sirius! Why do you have to ruin our moment?" Hermione groaned.

"Well, I'm a dad now, don't I have to?" He laughed.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We will have a conversation on our own about this…father."

After a quick packing of a bag for Hermione to stay overnight at Grimmauld Place, she kissed her mother goodbye and said to give Dad her love. Her mother had quite a predicament on her hands now – Hermione wondered if she would tell her dad the truth, or if Jeff Granger would continue to believe that he was Hermione's father?

(What Hermione didn't know was that Jeff always knew that Hermione wasn't his; he didn't buy the broken condom story Helen tried on him so many years ago. He never cared though – he was in love, and he would care for Hermione as if she really were his own.)

After saying goodbye, the trio apparated from Hermione's room to the stoop of 12 Grimmauld Place. Hermione opened the door, and came face to face with another Black, though she no longer was a Black by name – Narcissa Malfoy.


	3. Doubtful

_Ater Sanguis_

Warning: Rated M for language, potential violence, and occasional sex scene

Disclaimer: I don't own the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter. If I did, I could actually afford to attend uni. All characters are property of JK Rowling.

A/N: I am beyond elated that my tiny little story has gotten nearly 50 followers on here! I am so glad that people are really enjoying this (but if you could give me a review as to how you like it, that would be phenomenal). I do have the next two chapters pre-written, and I am planning on writing a few more before I upload the next one. I think I am going to remove my chapter numbers from the first one, as well as this one, and just keep it simple that way. Also, please note that my story is not beta'd - any grammatical errors that I somehow make, please inform me whether through PM or in a review. I tend to have very proper grammar, as I am a consultant at my college's writing center, but I'm human and make mistakes. So if I do have a mistake, be it continuity, grammar, or other, please let me know!

 _Doubtful_

* * *

 **16 July, 1996  
12 Grimmauld Place**

Hermione gasped when she saw Narcissa open the door to the Black residence. She turned to her newly revealed father and his best mate before letting out a shrill "What the devil is she doing here?!"

Sirius patted her on the shoulder. "Poppet, you can't treat your new cousin that way."

Narcissa raised a perfectly sculpted blonde brow at her cousin. "Miss Granger is a muggle-born; how could she possibly be my cousin?"

"There is a lot that must be discussed," Sirius said solemnly. "That can be one of our first topics. Now, we must be able to get into my house before we can talk about these topics."

Narcissa moved, allowing her cousin – cousins, she corrected herself – to enter the house with the werewolf before closing the door behind her. They walked into the parlor and sat down.

"I thought you said that this was an Order meeting," Hermione said once she sat on the plush couch, trying to distance herself from Narcissa as much as possible.

"It is," Remus answered. "Narcissa is joining our ranks."

"I'm sorry, but what?" Hermione shrieked. "Her husband is a no good Death Eater that gave Ginny a cursed diary and caused the most deadly creature in Hogwarts to be released!"

Narcissa ignored the jibe at her husband. "Yes, that is why I am here, actually. Kreacher?"

A loud pop was heard before the elderly house elf came into the room. "Yes, Mistress Cissa?"

"Could you get us some tea and biscuits? It is, after all, tea time." The house elf nodded and left with another loud pop. He returned moments later with a tray of teas and biscuits.

"Now, as I was saying, I am here for a reason, Miss Granger. Or is it actually Miss Black?" Narcissa eyed her cousin, curiosity filling her blue eyes.

"It has recently come to the attention of Hermione and me that we are related," Sirius answered as diplomatically as he could. It was hard for him to remain so professional. "Back nearly 17 years ago, I had a night of drunken love making with Eobard Jones' squib daughter, Helen."

Narcissa nearly choked on her biscuit. " _The_ Eobard Jones? His daughter was a squib, I knew that, but I can't believe you bedded her!"

"This is my mum we are talking about," Hermione exclaimed. "Can we not be so brash?!"

Sirius ignored her. "Anyways, Helen and I had a night together, and apparently it resulted in this brilliant witch before us."

Narcissa studied the young witch. She did have the same eyes as Sirius, as well as his nose; and yes, she could see the telltale Black hair making its presence known. "I had never seen someone's hair continue to change as they aged; Draco's hair was nearly black when he was born, did you know?"

"Of course I didn't know, Narcissa, I was banished from the family, if you don't recall."

"Sorry, sorry, sore spot," Narcissa apologized. Years ago she never thought she would become friendly with her estranged cousin Sirius, and she certainly never would have dreamed of asking Hermione Granger for help. "Miss Granger, do you still wish to be called Miss Granger?"

"Well, that is my birth name," Hermione said, somewhat stiffly. She still didn't understand why the sister of Bellatrix was in her father's home. "If I were to acknowledge Sirius as my father, that could cause quite a scandal, don't you think?"

"Oh, not particularly," Narcissa mused. "Your father was quite the playboy back in the day. Why, now that the accusations of the Potters' deaths has been lifted, I'm sure he will be returning to those ways." After the battle at the Department of Mysteries, the Minister released a statement saying that he was sorely apologetic for his disbelief of Harry's statements, and recanted the search for Sirius Black, claiming that he was innocent when it came to the deaths of Lily and James Potter. That blame was shifted to the rightful murder – Peter Pettigrew, who was also being charged (if he was caught) for being an unregistered animagus. (Hermione suggested that Sirius register himself shortly after, and he begrudgingly obliged.)

"Besides, having Black blood may make your new assignment a bit easier…" Remus mentioned, a bemused look on his face.

"Fine, I'll make a formal statement with a competent reporter for the _Prophet,"_ Hermione said tersely, clearly referring to Rita Skeeter, "saying that I have learned of my true heritage, and if Sirius agrees we can have a test done to prove it. But you must tell me what my assignment is!"

"Narcissa, would you like to explain it or should I?" Remus asked the female Malfoy. When she shook her head no, Remus continued to speak again. "Narcissa is afraid for her son's safety. Voldemort is currently trying to get Draco to become a Death Eater. After the incident in the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort is not happy with the Malfoy family, namely Lucius."

"Well, I can see why. Lucius made quite a blunder. No offense," Hermione shrugged, speaking to Narcissa. She turned her attention back to Remus. "Continue."

"Well, because of that, Voldemort believes he needs a more competent Malfoy to be in his ranks. Narcissa managed to convince Draco to wait a while before becoming marked, but unfortunately, he is being tested by the dark wizard for his loyalty to their…cause."

"Not that he'll have any problems with that," Hermione scoffed. "He's only been calling me a mudblood and voicing his disapproval of my being at Hogwarts for years. How much more difficult does it have to be?"

"Mind your tongue, Granger. This is my son you are speaking of," Narcissa chided. "Draco may not be friendly towards Hermione Granger, muggle-born, but Hermione Black, heir to recently acquitted Sirius Black…He might have to be friendly. Especially if I tell him that I plan on meeting with my cousin more, as well as my sister, Andromeda."

"You're okay with meeting with your 'blood traitor' of a sister and 'disgrace' of a cousin?" Hermione questioned, a brow raised. "I find that hard to believe."

"Don't believe me then. I have spent more time with the Death Eaters this past year than I have wanted to – it is my house that holds the Dark Lord. I have recently realized that I do not particularly agree with the ideals of the Death Eaters, including those of my husband. Muggle-borns, if properly attended to, are not as big of a problem as I once would have thought. I do not wish to become…as kids call it, 'buddy-buddy' with a muggle or a muggle-born, but I can tolerate them. I certainly do not have a bad taste in my mouth being around you, Miss Granger, and I believed you were a muggle-born for years."

Hermione was silent. She was surprised to hear these words come from Narcissa. "You're not under _Imperius_ or anything, are you? You aren't trying to spy on us and destroy us from within?"

A small laugh came from the blonde. "I can assure you, dear, I am not under the controlling curse, nor am I here to sabotage your motley group. I just want my son to be safe."

"Hell hath no fury like a mother," Remus paraphrased.

"Exactly," Narcissa concurred.

"But how do I come into play?" Hermione questioned. It was nice that Narcissa had a change of heart, and that she wanted to protect her son from working for the most vile being Hermione ever heard of (he was worse than Hitler in her opinion) – but she was still confused as to how she needed to be a part of this.

Narcissa spoke once more to the young witch. "You'll be keeping an eye on Draco. I mentioned to him a liaison may be helping us out within the next few months, but I did not delve further. I did not want to explain my 'defection' to my son, and if the Dark Lord were to use _legilimens_ on my Draco, and he were unable to hide the memory…"

"You'd be dead," Hermione finished the woman's sentence for her.

"Precisely. Once you are both back at Hogwarts, he will be less likely to meet with the Dark Lord, so if you wish to explain to him that you are his liaison you may," Narcissa explained.

"Your schedule will be shifted slightly as well, Hermione," Remus interjected to explain the academic aspect of it. "As you managed to get an O in every course you took, Dumbledore was able to shift around your schedule. You will be taking N.E.W.T-level classes, of course." He handed her a schedule. Hermione did not pay attention to the times, only the classes and the days.

 _Monday, Wednesday  
_ Advanced Arithmancy Studies  
Advanced Charms  
Advanced Transfiguration

 _Tuesday, Thursday  
_ Advanced Potions

 _Wednesday  
_ Apparation

 _Friday  
_ Defense Against the Dark Arts  
Advanced Ancient Runes

Hermione gawked at her schedule; it was beautiful. She was planning on taking all of these classes anyways. She was about to ask why they needed to change anything when Remus interrupted her with the answer.

"Professor Dumbledore changed around your schedule, as well as many of the sixth years, for there to be more classes with students from all the houses as opposed to just one or two classes. Your Charms, Potions and Defense courses are all with strictly Slytherin students. Ancient Runes is Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff; while Arithmancy and Transfiguration are Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw. Apparation is for all the houses and takes place after dinner on Wednesdays."

"What about my duties as a prefect? I'm not going to give up being a prefect to keep an eye on the boy who tormented me for years," Hermione puffed.

"That has also been taken care of. You have five sessions per week as prefect; three of those sessions will have you paired with Mister Malfoy."

"Draco's a prefect?"

"As well as captain of the Slytherin quidditch team," Narcissa boasted. "Despite his work under Dolores Umbridge, your headmaster believes that keeping Draco in a position of leadership would be good for him. If he is to work with you, Miss Granger, I believe it will only do better things for him."

"We can hope, anyways," Sirius laughed. "He is Lucius' son, and your husband is a right git; sorry."

Narcissa merely shrugged. "I am aware of my husband's less pleasing tendencies. Had I been on your end I would feel the same. This is why we are staging this operation; I refuse to let my son become his father."

"Well, I must say that I applaud your determination, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione admitted.

"Please, once you come out as Sirius' daughter, we will be official cousins. And because we are both part of the Order now, and you are going to be watching out for my son, we can be a bit less formal. You can call me Narcissa."

"Okay, Narcissa the Narcissist," Sirius laughed, earning a smack from his cousin as well as his daughter, "Oh come on! I've been wanting to use that for years. I know you aren't truly a narcissist."

"No, that title belongs to you, Pads," Remus said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I must be off," Narcissa said, standing up. "I will be back soon. Miss Granger, it was a pleasure. I hope that our newfound partnership may turn into a friendship of sorts."

"As odd as it seems, I am almost looking forward to it, Narcissa. And you can call me Hermione if you'd like."

Narcissa gave a quick nod to the trio, acknowledging Hermione's statement as well as saying goodbye. She stepped outside and the telltale _pop_ of apparation let the group know she was gone.

* * *

A/N 2: The schedule for Hermione is slightly modeled after my college schedule – I have classes that meet on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday, as well as classes that meet once a week, and I had classes that met on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Just wanted to clarify that. Yes, she will have all classes with Draco – what fun! (Well, maybe not for her yet.) I hope you enjoyed this, and if you could please leave a review, I would be so tickled pink!

OH, and with the recent article by J.K. saying that Dorea and Charlus aren't James' parents, I thought I'd mention now that they are in this story (as it should be). For...future reasons.


	4. An Argument with Ronald

_Ater Sanguis_

Warnings: Rated M for language, potential violence, and occasional sex scene; adult themes.

Disclaimer: I don't own the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter. If I did, I could actually afford to attend uni. All characters are property of JK Rowling.

A/N: I apologize for the late update. I still haven't set a schedule, and I haven't really written much, so after this I need to get going. I've been in a bit of a dark spot lately; my boyfriend's father had a heart attack last week (9/22) and has been comatose since then, and they might need to take him off life support soon, so we're all a bit of a wreck, but especially my boyfriend. We're thinking positive thoughts though.

 _An Argument with Ronald_

* * *

 **17 July, 1996  
12 Grimmauld Place**

Hermione ended up staying the night at Grimmauld Place per Remus and Sirius' request; she had told her mother she would be back the next day anyways, so she saw no reason as to why she shouldn't spend the night. She spent some time in the sitting room, taking in the gaudy decorations. She'd have to tell Sirius about her plans to redecorate, especially if she chose to spend more time here with her biological father.

It was odd for the pair to come to realize that they were in fact related. Hermione asked Remus to do a parental test spell, but he told her that he did not currently know of any spells of that sort. Hermione resigned to the fact that she'd have to go to St. Mungo's or a muggle hospital to get a blood test done. She mentioned this to Sirius, who proclaimed that no needles will be stuck into his veins on a normal basis, but as his daughter requested this, he would do it. Hermione was surprised that he was acting so fatherly already, but he was probably being over dramatic and using the daughter card to milk that. She would have to talk with her mother when she returned.

They were sitting at the table with Remus eating breakfast when someone came through the floo. Multiple people, it seemed. Sirius got up and went into the room and exclaimed when he saw the Weasley clan in his sitting room. Hermione grinned and ran into the room, only to be greeted with puzzled looks.

"Why are you here, 'Mione?" Ron had asked her. He didn't even know why he was at the house, if he was honest with himself; he just heard his mum mention going to Sirius' place and that Harry would be showing up that day, so he went.

Hermione looked at Sirius, hoping that he could give a reason. When he didn't answer, Hermione sighed. "Well, I have to do some work for the Order. I'm going back to my house tonight, but I needed to come by." Her answer was cryptic, but she knew that her friend wouldn't question it.

Remus came in the room and announced that he was going to get Harry to brief them on the news. There was an Order meeting in a few weeks and Remus wanted to let everyone know about Narcissa before the meeting so that no one would freak out. He was gone for only 10 minutes before he returned, Harry on his arm. "Now, let's all take a seat," he suggested, "We have quite a bit to talk about."

xxx

They began by talking about Narcissa's defection to the Order. Most of the Weasley family were shocked, as well as Harry, but Molly understood. She didn't need to hear the true reasoning, that Narcissa was hoping to protect her son, but she knew; mothers always know.

Then came the announcement of Sirius and Hermione's relationship. Reactions varied from person to person, and Hermione watched as each member slowly realized what this meant. Fred and George laughed, claiming that there was no way a witch so smart could come from a prankster like Sirius; Molly and Arthur congratulated Sirius, telling him that parenthood was a blessing, even if he didn't think so; Ron sat in silence, a look of confusion on his face; but Harry's reaction was the best of all.

Harry stood up and hugged Hermione as hard as he could without hurting the witch. "Hermione, that means we're family!" He grinned, clearly happy to know that his best friend was now a member of his family.

"Yes, I suppose I hadn't thought about that," Hermione mused, "I believe that'd make us 3rd or 4th cousins. It is rather exciting, isn't it? I told Sirius that we would have to take a blood test to ensure that we are in fact related, because Narci—someone said it would be a good idea to release to the public that we are father and daughter."

Behind Hermione, Remus motioned for everyone to exit except the trio, giving them some time to talk. The group left the sitting room, leaving Harry, Hermione, and Ron alone. Harry had caught her blunder and knew she was about to say Narcissa.

"Why would Narcissa Malfoy want you to release to the press that you are Sirius' daughter?" Harry questioned. "I mean, I get that she's part of the Order now, but why would she have you do that?"

"Well, being a half-blood would certainly be better than being muggle-born to some people; even being the daughter to a squib is okay, considering who my grandfather is," Hermione explained. When her friends gave her curious looks, she continued. "Eobard Jones; he was the Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes from 1949-1967; his brother is the grandfather to Gwenog Jones…"

Ron's jaw dropped. "You're related to _the_ Gwenog Jones?! Captain of the Holyhead Harpies?"

"Apparently. After mum told me about her father – honestly, I'm still miffed that she kept that from me for so long – I did some research last night on the Jones family. It was difficult, as Jones is such a common name. Eobard and Barrius took their mother's last name, as she was a half-blood mistress to a member of the Greengrass family who didn't want them as part of his life, despite impregnating Esther Jones twice in a 4 year span. Eobard was a Ravenclaw and graduated top of his class in 1939, while Barrius was a Hufflepuff who cared more for quidditch than his grades, graduating in the middle of the class in 1942. Clearly I took after my grandfather, while Gwenog took after hers." Hermione was glad to finally share her family background with someone; her grandfather had always been so sweet to her, even in his dying days, and to truly know what he was doing with his time before her was amazing. "My grampa Eobard married a muggle that he met in London while taking care of a case, and the rest, as they say, is history."

Ron was surprised that Hermione had learned this much in such a short amount of time – he had known his grandparents his whole life and didn't know as much about them. Then again, he didn't ask for information on them. He was still oogling over the fact that his best friend was related to Gwenog Jones, but Harry raised a brow at the witch.

"Now, that's great and all, Hermione. I'm really happy that you know more about your family, and maybe we could find out more about mine sometime soon, but you haven't mentioned why Narcissa Malfoy wants you to tell the press that you're Sirius' daughter."

Hermione gave a sheepish smile to her black haired friend; as oblivious as he could be, Harry Potter knew when Hermione was avoiding a subject. She sighed and ran a hand through her dark brown locks. "As I mentioned, I've been asked to undertake a very important mission for the Order. Narcissa is worried that Draco will take the Dark Mark and become a Death Eater."

"No need to worry about that," Ron scoffed, "That ferret would probably jump at the chance to work for that madman."

"Actually," Hermione glared, "he isn't quite fond of the idea. Narcissa has managed to put off Draco receiving his Dark Mark for the rest of the summer and hopefully the bulk of the school year, but she knows that Draco will be undertaking tasks for Voldemort. She has asked that I keep an eye on him during the school year, and reach out to him if he needs anything."

"So what, you're his babysitter?" Ron questioned, a red brow raised.

"I'm his liaison to the Order, not a babysitter. I just need to make sure he's okay."

"I don't like how this is going, Hermione; first you find out that you're not a muggle-born, and now you have to take care of Draco Malfoy?"

"I'm not crazy about it either, Ronald, but that is life. I would rather like to just focus on my schooling this year, but if I must help Draco Malfoy from becoming a Death Eater, I will." Hermione was rather defensive all of a sudden; it wasn't like she was defending _Malfoy_ , but she was defending her new mission that just happened to be about Malfoy. "And what does me not being a muggle-born have to do with this?"

"Well, you've always been the muggle-born, which made you this anomaly or something, because you're so smart, but now you're just like the rest of us, which means you're just trying too hard."

"I literally just learned of my heritage _last night_ , Ronald. I am the same person as I have always been; I grew up as a muggle, and I was under the impression that I was a muggle-born for so long. Just because I'm now a half-blood doesn't mean that my past is negated. Honestly, Ron, I am surprised that you're reacting like this. You'd think that you're a supremacist with the way you're talking." Hermione was angry now; how could he talk to her like this? He had no right to accuse her of anything, and just a few minutes ago he was excited to know someone related to that captain of that quidditch team. Once she mentioned Malfoy, he turned into a completely different person. Of course, Hermione knew why: Malfoy was horrible to them, so she wasn't surprised that Ron was angry, but honestly, he didn't need to be rude to her. (Then again, he always was.)

Harry decided to intervene before anything else happened. "Well, Hermione, I think that it's a very important mission and they chose a good person for it. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Harry. At least someone's a bit more compassionate."

Just then they were called into the kitchen for lunch. The two boys ran ahead, as if they hadn't eaten in days, while Hermione lingered in the sitting room.

"I hope that everything will go okay," she whispered to herself. But she should know better; she was friends with Harry Potter, and nothing was ever easy.

* * *

 **A/N:** reviews make my world go round, mates.


	5. Discussions

_Ater Sanguis_

Warnings: Rated M for language, potential violence, and occasional sexual scenes; adult themes.

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter. If I did, I could actually afford uni. All characters are property of JK Rowling.

A/N: Thanks for all the warm wishes and prayers, readers. I am very sorry to say that my boyfriend's father ended up passing on October 3, 2015; these past few weeks have been very rough. Between figuring out what the family is going to do with his belongings, and the services, and my midterms, I haven't had time to do much with the story. I just wrote another chapter before I decided I posted this one. I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I think it will answer some people's questions. (Also I'm thinking of ditching the Latin chapter names after the next chapter; I may change the chapters that have already been published, but I don't want to do that, so if the chapters start to have English names, don't be surprised; I'm just lazy.) Enjoy!

(10/15 update: I have changed the chapters from Latin to English. All further chapters will have English titles.)

 _Discussions_

* * *

 **17 July, 1996  
Granger Residence**

Helen Granger knew that her daughter took the announcement of Jeff not being her father too well. She had read quite a few parenting novels over the years, and they had all said that honesty and communication were key in a good mother-daughter relationship. Of course, those were key in any relationship, so Helen didn't know why she bothered spending the money on the books in the first place. It was nearly dinner time when her daughter returned home on the arm of Remus Lupin. Helen hear Hermione say goodbye to her former professor before hearing a _pop_ , followed by the opening of the kitchen door.

"Mum? I'm home!" Hermione called out.

"I'm in the living room, dear!"

Helen put down the book she was reading when her daughter entered the room. "Come take a seat next to your old mum, dear," she smiled, patting the seat next to her. "Do you want to talk?"

"Well, I have a lot of questions, before I tell you what happened. Why didn't you ever tell me I was a squib? I was tormented for years because I was a muggle-born." Hermione's eyes shone with disbelief and betrayal, and a frown was on her lips.

"In my age, being a squib was just as bad as being a muggle. I'm sure you know that even now, being a squib isn't the best. What's that caretaker at the school, Finch? Flick?"

"Filch."

"Yes, him. He has been there for a while. He's a squib, is he not?" Helen waited for her daughter to nod. "And he is not treated well by the students?" Hermione nodded once more. "Now imagine how it was for me, daughter to one of the heads of a department at the Ministry. Had your grandfather not been raised by such a caring woman, I would've been an outcast, disgrace to the family. As it was, our family friends teased your grandpa for having a squib as his only child.

"I had truly believed that if you were born to be a witch, raising you as a muggle-born would be your best bet. Your biological father – Sirius… I had no idea who he was at the time, let alone if he was a wizard or not. To be completely honest with you, I was drunk and he was kind and invited me back to his apartment, and all my girlfriends said to go. So I did. It was a lovely night, resulting in an unexpected, but well-loved child."

Hermione sighed and looked at the carpet. She knew that her mother was right; squibs were treated just as poorly in the magical community as muggles; she would have been tormented just as much for being a squib's child. "But why didn't you tell me about Sirius sooner? I could've said that I wasn't a muggle-born!"

"I wasn't even sure if you were his daughter when I first saw him in the paper. I had mentioned it to your dad, but—"

"Hold on, Daddy knew that he wasn't my dad?" Hermione shrieked.

"Oh he knew from the very beginning, my child. My friend had said to lie and tell him you were his, but he saw through my façade almost immediately. I broke down crying and told him I completely expected him to leave me. But he was as sweet as the candy we both loathed to eat, and he told me he didn't care who the father was, he would raise you as if you were his. And he has, hasn't he?"

"Well, of course," Jeff said with a hearty laugh as he entered the living room. "She's my little poppet, isn't she?" He plopped down on the couch, having returned from a shift at their practice. He draped an arm over his daughter's shoulders and gave her a kiss on the side of her head. "Hermione, I couldn't care less about the fact that I didn't father you. I held your mum's hair back while she threw up, I rubbed her feet when they were sore from walking around the practice we worked at all day, and I was right next to her the minute you were born. I have watched you take your first steps, say your first words…hell, I even watched you perform your first spell before we even knew what was going on! I may not have fathered you, love, but I am your dad. And if you choose to let Sirius into your life as your father, then I have no qualms. I would be more than happy to share the title of father with your biological dad, so long as you're happy." Jeff looked down at his beautiful little girl and furrowed his brows. "Poppet, why are you crying?"

Hermione's cheeks were wet with tears, and her body shook as she cried. "Everything's just so different," she gasped between sobs. "I never wanted to be tormented for being a _mudblood_ , and I find out that I'm not, but I might as well be! My father's a former convict, and my mother is a squib who lied to me. How can I tell the wizarding world that I'm not the little _mudblood_ that they said I am?" She hissed out that dreadful word, knowing it would anger her mother. "And now I have to work with the boy who has been calling me that name for years? I have to _protect him_? Because his mother thinks that she can control him?"

"Hermione Jean, I will not allow you to use that word in this household!" Helen shouted. She may not be a magical being, but she knew all about that horrid word.

"Well, I don't think you can really tell me what to say, now can you? You have lied to me about my whole life; how can I believe anything you say anymore?!" Hermione threw her faux-father's arm off her and ran up the stairs in a huff, wailing.

"Do you think it's…that time of the month," Jeff questioned cautiously.

Helen scowled at her husband. "Jeffrey, you know that that is a ridiculous accusation. She's just emotionally distraught. It's been a rough couple of months, and we know that. And yesterday's news definitely didn't make it any easier for her. And if she has to take care of her bully… well that's enough to make anyone balk. Just give her some time alone; I'll try to speak with her later." She sighed and leaned back into the couch, running her hands over her face. _Teenagers._

xxx

It was past dinner when Hermione finally left her room. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were puffy; if she had rubbed at them any more while she cried, she would've popped some blood vessels. She was certain that her parents had eaten without her, so when she entered the kitchen to see her mother standing over a pot and her dad chopping up veggies, she was shocked.

"Oh, darling, be a dear and grab some plates? Dinner's nearly ready," Helen suggested, not turning to look at her daughter.

"But, it's half past eight," Hermione murmured. "Why haven't you eaten yet?"

"Because you haven't, poppet," Jeff assured his daughter. "We're a family, no matter how dysfunctional. And just because you got mad, and we got flustered, doesn't mean we are going to let you starve. Now, if you grab plates we can all sit down and eat."

Hermione nodded, surprised that her parents hadn't really acknowledged her earlier outburst, and retrieved the plates from their cupboard. She set them on the table, along with the proper utensils. Once dinner was ready, the Granger family filled their plates and began to eat. It was quiet at first, until Hermione spoke up.

"Why aren't you mad at me?"

"Why would we be mad, Hermione? You had perfectly reasonable response to the stimuli in your environment. It's a lot to take in," Helen comforted her, a weathered hand on her young and soft one. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"I… I don't know what to do about Sirius. I know he's my father, and Narcissa Malfoy said I should publicly announce that we're related, but I'd want to take a paternity test. And I suppose he's okay with that, but I just don't know, Mum." Hermione let out a loud sigh, pushing her pasta around. "I don't want everything to be different, and it already is. Ron got mad at me for keeping this from him, when I had just found out yesterday."

"Well that Ron has always had an odd way of going about things, love," Jeff chuckled. "Didn't you say that he had asked you out to that dance last year because he just realized you were a girl?"

Hermione giggled. "Yes, that's true. But I don't want people to treat me differently. I couldn't just accept him as my father, in this world; I'd have to take his last name, and show them that I truly care about my heritage. And I don't know if I could just be Hermione Black all of a sudden."

"Whatever you choose to do, we'll stand behind you, love," Helen smiled, patting her daughter's hand. "Promise. And no more secrets from now on, I can promise that too. Now eat your dinner, it's getting cold," she laughed.

Hermione smiled at her mother and stabbed at her pasta, putting a forkful in her mouth. She looked at the man she called Dad for so long, and crinkled her brows. "Can I still call you Dad, even though you aren't my biological father?"

"I already told you, poppet, I am perfectly fine with being your daddy alongside Sirius. If you'd like me to be Dad, or Papa, or just Jeff, I am more than happy to be any of those for you."

"Okay. I love you Dad."

"I love you, poppet."

"I love you Mum."

"And I you, my darling."

Hermione smiled to herself as she ate more of her dinner; perhaps this wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

* * *

Reviews make the world go round, lovelies.


	6. The Test

_Ater Sanguis_

Warnings: Rated M for language, potential violence, and occasional sexual scenes; adult themes.

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter. If I did, I could actually afford to attend uni. All characters are property of JK Rowling.

A/N: You guys are too sweet. Thank you for those who left their condolences with their reviews. It's been a tough past few weeks, and it hasn't gotten much easier, but I am so grateful to have people like my family and you readers to give their thoughts and prayers to us. I'm hoping to have chapters 8 and 9 done soon.  
Also, someone mentioned that Helen's comment about Filch seemed a bit off; that people didn't like Filch because he was a jerk, not because he was a squib. And I just want to elaborate on that: I think that Filch became the nasty little bugger that he is when we meet him _because_ people were rude to him for being a squib. And after being teased and bullied for being a squib, he hardened up, and became the jerk we know. So when Hermione says that people aren't nice to him, she figures it's because he's a jerk. Helen knows that he's a jerk because of being a squib. Which almost makes me want to write a one-shot about Filch...anyways...  
I'm really sorry that I don't have a more consistent schedule...maybe more reviews would help? *wink wink, nudge nudge* (Please understand that I'm not withholding chapters because of a lack of reviews, and I am not threatening to withhold; just suggesting that more reviews could make me more likely to write chapters and post regularly...) Okay this was the longest A/N I've written, and I apologize. Now onward with the story!

 _The Test_

* * *

 **22 July, 1996**

 **Diagon Alley**

Hermione was waiting outside the entranceway to Diagon Alley for Sirius and Remus; today was the day that they decided they were going to take the blood test to see if Hermione and Sirius were truly related. Hermione was as nervous about this test as she was about her final exams back at Hogwarts, even though there was no way she could fail. No matter the outcome, she was Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age, and member of the Order of the Phoenix. However, she could not find out the outcome without her partner, and she had been waiting for a good fifteen minutes at this point. She debated going back into the Leaky Cauldron and ordering herself a butterbeer, just to ease her mind, when she heard a _pop_.

"Sorry, Hermione," Remus smiled sheepishly before pointing at his best mate, "this one here didn't want to get up on time."

"Probably because I've got a major headache, you bloody prick!" Sirius groaned. He reeked.

"Went out last night?" Hermione guessed, rolling her eyes. She certainly hoped that if he was her father, alcoholism did not run in the family; not that she thought he was an alcoholic, but with the way he drank, you never knew.

"I'm a free man now, my poppet," Sirius grinned, "Got to take advantage of that. Cleaned up this weekend and hit the pubs. Took home a few gals too, I must admit."

Hermione stifled a gag; she did _not_ need to know about her potential father's sex life. She took in his appearance when he mentioned having cleaned up, though. He did look much better than she had seen him; shaved his godawful beard, trimmed back his hair so it was at shoulder length, and even managed to get some proper muggle clothes for the occasion. He looked more grown up than normal, in his black jeans and red flannel shirt, and he was even wearing red trainers. "We almost match," she noted, looking down at her own attire: a red cardigan and black tank top, her favorite dark washed jeans, and the grey trainers that her mum had gotten her back in the spring. "Anyways, we've got an 11:30 appointment, and I'd rather not be late, since we need to take muggle transportation."

"Like a cab or something?" Sirius asked, dropping the 'g' from 'something.'

"Or…something. We're taking the tube. The hospital we're going to is only a few stops over from the nearest tube stop. We should get a move on," Hermione said before motioning for the two to follow her to the stop. Once they arrived she paid for their tickets and they got on the tube. It was a quick ride, only about 10 minutes, and they arrived at the office at 11:22. A middle aged woman sitting at the reception area gave Hermione a blank stare when she said they were the 11:30 paternity test appointment, and then she handed her two clipboards.

"Fill it out and bring it back," she muttered, turning back to the magazine she was reading.

The trio sat down in a corner; Hermione began filling her form out as quickly as she could, but stopped when she saw Sirius hadn't touched his. "You know you need to fill the form out, right? That's how they get the information on you."

"I don't know most of this information. And I can't put Grimmauld Place down as the address, because it doesn't exist to muggles."

Remus sighed and took the clipboard. "I swear, I'm like your mother sometimes, Pads. I'll fill it out, and we'll put Harry's address down for yours. Just let us do the work."

Hermione laughed and finished filling out her paperwork. What would Sirius do without Remus?

Once the paperwork was done, she returned the clipboards to the unamused receptionist and they waited for the doctor to call them in. The actual appointment was not as exciting as Hermione had thought. Their doctor, a tall, frail, 60-year-old man, asked a few questions about both of them and then, after obtaining the proper equipment, drew some blood. (Sirius had waited until after the doctor had left the room to freak out about the needles about to be injected into his arm. "What is he going to put in my arm?! Why would anyone even _want_ to do this?" "It's much safer than going to Madam Pomfrey's, honestly, Sirius." "It's bloody inhumane!" "Pads, shut up!") The doctor promised that he would take it back to the lab and look through the DNA to see if they shared any. He'd let them know the results by the end of the week, and then shooed them out of his office.

Outside, Hermione suggested that they go to a restaurant for lunch, as it was 12:30 by the time they got out. She had thought a nice muggle place would be good, but Sirius proclaimed that he was not letting her spend any more money on him or Remus.

"We'll go back to the Leaky Cauldron, and we'll have some grub there," Sirius decided. "Since you're paying for our tube tickets, it's the least we can do, isn't it, Moony?"

"We?"

"Well of course; she bought your tickets too, didn't she?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at the pair. "Let's get going, you two."

xxx

 **25 July, 1996**

 **Granger Residence**

Hermione was sitting at the dining room table with her mother, Sirius, and Remus; it was just after lunch and they were expecting the phone call from the doctor any minute. Hermione was terrified. The likelihood of Sirius being her father was too high for her to assume anything else, but she was so uncertain of what would happen next. Would she have to call him dad? Would he even want to be called dad, or would he prefer to be Sirius to her? When would he want to go to the _Prophet_ and let them know the news? Would it even matter that she belongs in that world, now that she has a magical heritage? Or would she just be tormented for being the daughter of a squib and ex-convict?

Her train of thought stopped short when the phone rang. Helen grabbed the phone and picked it up, and then put it on speaker.

"Yes, hello. This is Doctor Langston at Hingham Hospital. Is Miss Hermione Granger there?" His voice sounded much frailer over the phone.

"I am right here, doctor. And Sirius is here as well."

"Wonderful. The results came back from the lab, and it shows that you two are in fact related. I certainly hope that this was what you wanted. We will mail the results to your house, Miss Granger. If you ever need anything again, please give us a call. Good day." He hung up immediately after he had spoken, as if he didn't want to hear the celebration that was about to commence.

But no celebration happened. Hermione and Sirius stared at each other, grey and grey. Remus was the first one to speak up.

"Well, at least we have our results," Remus said with a small smile. "That's exciting. Pads, you're a father! And to the brightest witch of the age!"

"I have to be a dad now, don't I?" Sirius said. "But partying is so much fun."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You've missed all the important stuff, Sirius. Mum and Jeff did well enough with me. You don't need to be a dad if you don't want to."

"You could, however, purchase her supplies for this upcoming school year," Helen suggested. "It's such a pain having to exchange our muggle pounds for sickles and knuts. Besides, you've been acquitted, so you can go out in public, as I'm sure you have been already."

Sirius thought for a moment. "I don't mind being a parent, but I'm going to be a cool dad, okay Hermione? You don't even have to call me Dad or anything! But we should tell the _Prophet_ soon so that you can get your mission underway."

Hermione nodded in agreement, while Remus began thinking. "I'll floo the _Prophet_ and speak with someone as soon as possible; perhaps you can come down for the weekend, Hermione? They can come down tomorrow and get the article out for the Sunday edition if they go fast enough."

"I don't see why not. I can do it. Just give me a few moments to pack my things."

As surprising as it was, Hermione was very happy to know that Sirius was her father. It almost explained some of her more reckless behaviors, and the real reason why she had such strong feelings when Sirius was sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss back in third year; she had felt this sort of a connection with him, even though she thought he was a murderer at the time, and now she knew why.

xxx

 _ **Sirius Black and Hermione Granger – Father and Daughter! By Jameson Dawes**_

 _It was recently brought to light that the brightest witch of her age, Hermione Granger, is not the muggle-born that everyone thought she was! Originally believed to be the daughter of muggles who lived just outside of London, Hermione learned just a week ago that her heritage is vastly different than she was brought up to believe._

" _I had always thought I was a muggle-born witch, but when my mother told me that my grandpa Eobard Jones was a wizard, and she a squib, I was surprised. And angry. How could she have kept such a thing from me for so long? The amount of ridicule I received my first few years at Hogwarts was absolutely dreadful, and she felt bad for not letting me know sooner," the young witch explained to me just yesterday morning at the home of her father, Sirius Black._

 _Yes, readers, you read that right: Hermione's father is the recently acquitted Sirius Black, who was for the longest time believed to be the reason that James and Lily Potter were killed by You-Know-Who. This was a shock to everyone. Hermione's parents met at a New Year's Eve celebration, and had never seen each other again after their one blissful night. Sirius recalls the event fondly, but never thought that anything came of it._

" _I was a playboy in my younger days," he admits. "I had laid eyes on the most beautiful woman in the pub that night, and I had to have her. But I never saw her again; didn't even get her name, or give her mine. I stopped by Hermione's house a week or two ago, because Remus [Lupin, the former DADA teacher and werewolf] and I were in the area. When Helen – Hermione's mum – stepped into view I realized that she was my mystery woman from so long ago. It wasn't until she had pointed out that Hermione and I had similar features, that I realized we were related. I have a daughter, and I couldn't be more proud of the one I got."_

 _Hermione and Sirius plan on catching up on lost time before she returns to Hogwarts for her sixth year of schooling; like her father, Hermione is a Gryffindor, and is best friends with Harry Potter, Sirius' godson. Funny how fate works, eh dear readers?_

 _The last thing that Hermione wanted to mention before I left was a shock to me, and probably all of you, my readers. Since discovering her heritage, Hermione wants to embrace her father in every way that she can; starting today, Hermione Granger is no more, and there is only Hermione Black._


	7. Celebrations

_Ater Sanguis_

Warnings: Rated M for language, violence, and occasional sexual scenes; adult themes.

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter; if I did, I could actually afford to attend uni. All characters are property of JK Rowling.

A/N: I am so sorry about the random hiatus. I've just had so much going on, and I really couldn't think of writing for the story. After my boyfriend's father died, his grandmother (father's mom) passed shortly after. The next few months were hell, honestly. We still aren't done cleaning out his father's storage unit. I wrote this back during my winter break, but I have been so busy between classes, work, and my home life that I just hadn't thought to update. Forgive me? I'm in the midst of writing a novel, helping a friend edit her novel so she can publish it, and then there's the mass of homework and papers I have. Plus I need to select my courses for next term soon, and that's always fun. Anyways, you deserve a chapter...

 _A Celebration_

* * *

 **31 July, 1996**

 **12 Grimmauld Place**

It had been just about a week since the article had been published; since Hermione had stayed with her mother for most of the week, she didn't have to deal with the public. Sirius, on the other hand, did. He was being congratulated left and right for fathering the brightest witch of the age by some. Others hissed that he was lying, just using this to keep up good graces – "I bet you manipulated her into thinking that there's a bond there. Being related to 2/3 of the Golden Trio must have been the reason you were acquitted of your crimes," one person had told him. Sirius snapped, saying that at the time of his acquittal he had no idea Hermione was his daughter, and Harry had no idea that he was undergoing the trial to be acquitted. The Wizengamot cleared him of charges because Peter Pettigrew was the true killer, and that was that. Besides, people had more to worry about right now, with Voldemort back.

Sirius pushed the thoughts from his mind; he got up from his chair and commanded his house elf to begin setting up for the party. Harry was turning 16 today, and Sirius had managed to get the young Potter to stay at the old house for a few days, so he could celebrate with those who truly cared about him. He was out at the moment, going to collect Hermione with Remus, if Sirius remembered correctly. They wouldn't be back until noontime, so he had a few hours to kill. A trip to Diagon Alley was in order. Sirius took the Floo to the shopping area, and headed straight for Flourish and Blotts.

"Good day, Mister Black," the attendant at the counter greeted him, a tight smile on his face. "What can we help you with today?"

"I would like to purchase a book."

"Well you've certainly come to the right place, Mister Black. Books are our specialty," the attendant laughed. "Anything in particular?"

Sirius pursed his lips. "I don't know. I want to surprise my daughter. I haven't been very fatherly in the past week or so since we've discovered our bond, and I know she loves putting her head in a book. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Hermione is one of our best customers, sir. She loves the informational books, but we've also seen her looking at the fictional section from time to time. We've recently expanded to include a few muggle fiction books, purely for our muggle-born and half-blood customers. It is all the way in the back; perhaps Hermione would like one of those?"

Sirius nodded and made his way to the new addition to the store. It was a single bookshelf, only about 7 feet high, 4 across, but it was filled with books that clearly did not belong in a wizarding book shop. Authors that Sirius had heard of only because of Lily, like Jane Austen, were there, but there were others that he didn't know. What would Hermione even like? _Perhaps I'll just buy her the lot…no, no, that's excessive. She'd probably lecture me on wise spending. I'll pick 4 books at random, and those will be what I get her._

Ten minutes later, he exited the shop with 4 muggle authored books in a bag: _Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austen, _The Bell Jar_ by Sylvia Plath, a collection of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, and _Alias Grace_ by Margaret Atwood. There was a sign for a book that was scheduled to be in stores just a few days later, and Sirius decided he would return then to buy that one for her as well. He had also purchased a few books that contained stories that he had grown up reading, as he was sure Hermione would enjoy them. Now he had to shop for his godson, as it was his birthday.

Sirius headed over to Quality Quidditch Supplies, feeling a wave of nostalgia when he stepped through the threshold. He hadn't been here since before seventh year began; he had been with James and Remus at the time, as Peter was off visiting his Nan. It saddened Sirius to be back in the store without his friends, but he knew that he had to get Harry something wonderful for his birthday.

"Bloody hell! The Thunderbolt IX looks amazing!" Sirius heard a young boy exclaim, staring at the floor model in the center of the room.

"Just came out last week," another boy responded. "S'posed to be the best broom since the Firebolt. Costs a fortune, though. I'll just have to look at it for now."

 _Perfect_ , Sirius thought. He strode over to the nearest salesperson and requested more information on the Thunderbolt in the center. Once he had sufficient information, he took out his bag of Galleons and placed it on the counter. "I'll take it. Gift wrapped, if you could. S'for a special someone."

xxx

Sirius returned just before Harry, Hermione, and Remus. He quickly stashed the presents in his room, and made his way towards the kitchen. Kreacher had done a fine job setting up the area for the party that evening. He rewarded the house elf with a biscuit; Hermione had demanded that Sirius treat the elf better, whether they liked each other or not. "It's just not right," she had said to him just days ago, "Kreacher works hard for you, and you should at least pay him." (The elf shouted at her, damning her for even suggesting that the house elf to the House of Black get paid. She offered the idea of a biscuit for pay, and the elf begrudgingly agreed.)

The house was cleaner than it had been in ages. Of course last year when Molly and the others helped clean, that made a big improvement, but Hermione wanted to take it a step further; she implemented the idea of weekly dustings, and Kreacher cleaned up as much as he could. The old elf was unable to do as much as he could in his younger days, and he still didn't like working for Sirius, and he especially didn't like working for Hermione, but thanks to her he got to have shortbread biscuits nearly every day, and they reminded him of Regulus, so Kreacher didn't mind her as much. Hermione had also suggested a complete reorganization of the house. New paints and wallpapers, some new furniture, and finally figuring out how to take down that dreaded portrait of Walburga. Narcissa had offered to help with that, and said that she could potentially destroy it if she had the proper potions at home; so next week she was coming by to do that, which made Sirius happier than he had been in a while.

Sirius was thinking of all of the great ideas to change the house when Remus and Harry arrived with Hermione.

"Can't wait till you two start taking the apparation class, side-along is too difficult with two people," he heard Remus say. "Rest of the people should be here in an hour or so. You two know this place well enough by now, just don't do anything stupid."

"Remus, stupid is his middle name," Sirius said as he walked into the room. "He's James' son and my godson; he has to be stupid and reckless."

Hermione came over and gave him a hug, which made Sirius smile. As odd as it was to have a child, especially one that's a teenager, Sirius liked it. "Hermione, I have something for you upstairs. Can you join me?" She nodded and the two went upstairs into his room.

"Now, I know it's Harry's birthday, but I was out trying to get him a present and I figured I would get you something too." Sirius pulled the books out from his hiding spot and handed them to her. "Flourish and Blotts started selling muggle novels not long ago, and I thought maybe you'd like some. I got you some old wizard stories too, since you wanted to learn more about my side of the family. My…my brother and I would read these books when we were younger."

"Brother?" Hermione questioned. "I didn't know you had a brother."

"He's been gone for a long time. Died. Don't know how. Not that we stayed close. He was the perfect son for the Black Family; Slytherin, Death Eater, and complacent towards Walburga and Orion," Sirius sighed. "It wasn't like that always. Before Hogwarts, we had been best friends. I took care of him. But then things changed. It was difficult." He stared off, thinking of his long-dead brother. Regulus' room was just feet away from his own, and had remained untouched for nearly two decades. Sirius shook his head, returning to the present. "But anyways, yeah, we read these. They're old wizarding fairy tales and stuff. You'd like them."

"Oh, Sirius, thank you so much!" Hermione hugged him again, harder than last time, and he reciprocated. "This is wonderful. Thank you…Dad."

xxx

The party was wonderful; the Weasley clan showed up, as did Tonks and her parents, and Dumbledore. The food Kreacher made was delicious, and Harry loved his presents – especially the broom from Sirius.

"Anything for my godson," he grinned.

The celebration went well into the night, and Hermione decided to stay over with Harry and return to her mother the next day. She shared the books that Sirius got her with Harry, and the two poured over the fairy tales, laughing and gasping and enjoying each other's company. Sirius couldn't have felt prouder. He was doing something right, and it was the best feeling in the world.


	8. Missions

_Ater Sanguis_

Warning: Rated M for language, potential violence and occasional sexual scenes; adult themes. **Chapter Specific: Torture, murder, non-con sex**

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter. If I did, I could actually afford to attend uni. All characters are property of JK Rowling.

A/N: I am so sorry that I haven't updated recently. This chapter was written a while ago, but I just hadn't uploaded it. I plan on working on some more chapters soon. This chapter will include some sexual scenes – more specifically, non-consensual sex. I do not like non-consensual sex, and as such I will not be writing the actual scene. When it comes, you will know. There is also some violence in this chapter – murder and torture, specifically. I greatly apologize in advance for these scenes. If you wish to skip this chapter, I will put a summary at the bottom of the chapter as another note.

 _Missions_

* * *

 **2 August, 1996  
Malfoy Manor**

Draco Malfoy was conflicted. But he didn't know it yet.

After the disgusting embarrassment that his father caused at the Department of Mysteries, Draco was told he had to join the Death Eaters by Lucius. "You must save face, Draco," he had said to him, "our Dark Lord must have a Malfoy at his hand. And, unfortunately, he does not trust me at the moment." Of course, Draco had felt pride, to have been selected as a future Death Eater – no matter the circumstance. It was one of the highest honors that Draco could think of.

The first few weeks were easy; Draco was to just watch the meetings and see how being a Death Eater was more than just harassing muggles and mudbloods; there was the intricate political ways of the group as well. In between meetings, Draco was training with his father in the Dark Arts; he was learning how to properly wield his wand for the _cruciatus_ curse, among other different tips and tricks for being a Death Eater. His father was a decent teacher, but he worried that he would not live up to the Dark Lord's expectations.

But a month and a half into his trainings, Draco was pulled out to attend an emergency meeting. He walked down the familiar hallways of his house; these were the halls that he learned to walk in, the halls that he had his first bouts of accidental magic as a child in, and now they were the halls where the Dark Lord lurked, with his lackeys behind him at every turn. He entered the main room where the Dark Lord resided, and saw a group of cloaked men, all of them masked.

"My Lord, you require my assistance?" Draco said, bending to one knee. He wasn't sure if that was what he was supposed to do, but he recalled seeing a few other Death Eaters do so during meetings. (His father did so the most, but whether that was out of respect or because he was still attempting to get on Voldemort's good side, Draco didn't know.) Everyone was in their Death Eater garb, so Draco was unsure why he was called into this meeting.

"Young Malfoy, welcome." The Dark Lord always appeared more menacing each time the young blond saw him, with his red eyes and snake like face. "The rest of your partners for tonight were all waiting for you."

"Partners?" Draco wondered aloud, looking at the older men. Was he finally going on his first mission? Was he on his way to officially becoming a Death Eater?

"Yes, you are," Voldemort revealed, as he had read young Malfoy's mind. _Right,_ Draco remembered, _the Dark Lord is one of the most skilled occulemens – if not_ the _most skilled – ever._ "You are to find the Grelens family and eradicate them. The father is a Ministry worker, but he is a mudblood, and his wife is a muggle." Sounds of disgust were made throughout the room, as each man voiced his distaste for the mudblood and his muggle shite family. "Your partners have all the information; you are to join along and watch. See what it is _really_ like to be a Death Eater. You leave in ten minutes."

xxx

The robes were too big for him. He was wearing his father's robes, and while he was nearly as tall as Lucius, he was not of the same build, and thus they did not fit him. Not only that, but he was wearing his father's mask; they left no loose ends, and while the whole family was to die, the Death Eaters refused to let anyone see their faces. Draco wondered what his mask would look like when he was officially a Death Eater. Lucius had told him that each Death Eater gets to design their own mask, which was no surprise – his mask was designed with ornate silver swirls, which was too much for Draco's taste.

Draco side-apparated with a Death Eater that he assumed was Goyle's father; he was the only one large enough to fit the profile. It was dark, and Draco followed the group of men to their destination. It was a small house, nothing like Malfoy Manor, with a small yard filled with muggle contraptions. Draco kicked some of the disgusting toys over on the way into the house. The one Draco assumed was Avery Jr. threw open the door and sent the killing curse towards the father. _They were having dinner_ , Draco realized as his eyes widened, _like we never had at home. They were having dinner, and we murdered their father._

The children screamed, blood-curdling and high pitched, as their father slumped over his plate. They were no older than 8, twins, Draco noted. He had orders to stay back, but he was told that he had to watch what happened. He felt a twist in the pit of his stomach, realizing that this was the wrong mission for him to be on. The screams of the children grew louder and louder, until they were suddenly silenced. The pit in Draco's stomach grew, and he clutched at his abdomen.

And then the wife was the only one left. The Death Eater that Draco assumed was Selwyn strode up to the wife and laughed a low, guttural laugh. "This'n's mine." Draco could practically _hear_ the grin on Selwyn's face as he spoke. "Now, do you wanna do this the easy way, or the hard way, bitch?" His response came in the form of a slap, nearly knocking Selwyn's mask off. "The hard way it is then," he spat, " _Crucio!"_

The woman's screams were more terrifying than the children's. Draco couldn't watch. He turned and looked at the bookshelves. None of these books were recognizable to Draco. _Pride and Prejudice?_ What was that supposed to mean? He heard Selwyn screaming _crucio_ at the woman, once, twice, three times, until she was complacent enough. Then he heard the moans and groans of Selwyn, and the protests of the woman. Draco focused more on the books. These were the books that muggles and mudbloods read; Shel Silverstein, Stephen King, and other weird names that he just didn't understand.

Finally, Selwyn was finished. The woman hadn't stopped crying, and she had every right to – she watched as her children were slaughtered, her husband killed, and then she was tortured into submission for sex. " _Avada Kedavra!_ " Selwyn shouted, aiming his wand directly for her chest. Her sobs stopped as suddenly as her children's had. Draco finally turned back around, disgusted. This wasn't what he signed on for.

He had to get out, but he knew it was hopeless. He had no way to leave the Death Eaters.

* * *

A/N 2: Okay so that was the chapter. If you were unable to actually read it, for any reason, here's a quick summary: Draco was sent on a mission to attend a slaughtering of a muggleborn man and his muggle family, the Death Eaters slaughtered the children, and one of them tortured and raped the wife before killing her. Now Draco's not sure what to do.


End file.
